03/09/2017
Hi guys :)
I just wanted to share my thoughts for the day. I talked to a client the other day and she had a training plan written out and it started off well, but she had hit some road bumps and couldn't reach her goals. When I herd her plan I instantly saw what was wrong. She needed to implement a little but of management, discipline, patients, and redirect. Lets call her dog Rover so the post is easy to follow.
The problem:
Rover loves to greet people and jump up on them!
Her solution:
Ask for a sit stay and give Rover treats for staying in a sit stay
Her problem:
Rover would only stay in a sit stay for as long as SHE wanted to.
After a few treats she would get up and greet the visitor.
Does anyone else have this problem? ;P
My Advice:
Rover wants to greet the visitor more than she wants the treats. Dogs are smart! Rover knows that she can sit for a minute, get some treats, AND greet the guest. Its a win win! What needs to happen is a little management first. Use a leash when guests will be over (or baby gates) to stop the reward of getting to the visitor. Next, a little discipline. I told my client to watch Rover's butt because this is the first body part that Rover will move when getting out of a sit position. After my client told Rover to sit and stay, she would watch her butt. The moment her butt started to move off the floor I told her to say no and repeat the sit stay command. You can body block if you need to. So now we have the redirect. You should not 'punish' your dog without telling him what you DO want him to do. After a good sit stay and some treats, you can choose to let your dog say hi to the guests. Now Rover has two rewards for doing the correct behavior :)
Do you have a similar issue? Comment below with the methods you have tried to stop a jumping dog. Did it work?
Remember, I am always here to answer questions!
Happy training!